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Oct 28, 2012

I am to the right of the path and we are bing told over 70% of my area is going to lose power. I may not be posting for up to a week. Also my day job will tie me up if it is bad. So prayers are out to everyone with the storm. And hopefully we all come out of this with our power! I should be fine till midday tomorrow.

I AM OFF now to get things ready! (not that am not far more ready then most)

Oct 26, 2012

It is that time of year were we all start thinking about heat. Heat, if the power goes out. Heat, if the cost sky rockets (not that it is not already). This is a major issue! A life issue in some parts. You can have a simple propane heater that can be used as a temporary fix. Propane can run out. Just as with generators. Gas can run out. Installing a fireplace or wood stove is another fix. All can be costly to do with fees and zoning ect. So we all put it off and hope this will never be an issue.

Having a plan for the unknown is a part of prepping. These are some ideas that can get heat up and running in your home if you are in dire straights.

The Rocket Stove Mass Heater

This is the best site I have found so far with info on how to build it. Click Here.

Here are some photo's of folks building one. It looks like a lot of work. But if times are hard I can bet this will be a life saver to know. Click Here

BUT....here is an example of how a make shift one is (see Pic below) ....for emergency's. Not as pretty as the others but it does show how simple it can be. And what kind of supply's you may want laying around for a just in case situation.

ok I personally think this one is my solution. But I want to add 3 videos...only take a few min. to watch.

This is just a great step by step video in fast time of how to make in a contained area.

This is cool , made from coffee cans....a mini heater! No info on how to do it. I looked for it. But with the above info and this. I am sure your creative juices are flowing!

Then he tweeted the idea a bit here.

Now on to the next one.

Masonry heater/ stoves

Now this is kind of the same idea...but a lot more complicated.

Masonry stoves are heating stoves developed in medieval Europe, or
even earlier. Some sources are mentioning some kind of similar Roman
stoves.
It is a wood burning stove with high efficiency and high thermal
mass.
Because of that mass it can accumulate heat in the fireplace and the
result is a great efficiency because most of the wood gases are burnt.
It is an efficient ecological alternative to ordinary wood burning
stoves.

and here is a blog dedicated to it...the pic's are helpful scroll to the very bottom and read up. Click Here

Solar cans Solar Air Heat

Now I know people look at this and think it is cheesy and will never work. I have seen it and it does totally work! Some kids camping on our green over the winter built it and it heated a large tent area. I also spoke with a kid who's parents have the original CLICK HERE set up in every window of thier house that gets sun. He said they very rarelyuse the heat now.

This is an easy easy easy one to make. I am doing this one for my winter green house.

But it this does interest you go to this site they have 4 designs to mix and match, I like the laundy pipe painted black. Click Here

Oct 24, 2012

But soups are the easiest MRE's to make ........
You can make them in a jars; you can make them in mylar...You can keep them in your car, so you can bug out real real far. You can wrap them in a bow and give to people you know. You can keep them for many years to help lessen the worst of prepper's fears. Ok I am no poet that's for sure...

Ok, first thing canning fresh soup is great, but dehydrated soup makes for light weight travel and less storage space. And for those of you who have not yet canned meat you can buy so many canned kinds at the store Click Here to the the variety. You can go to The Ready Store and order freeze dry meat to add to these mixes. I bring this up because bean are a great protein sub.but many call for meat. I find the little cans of chicken meat (tyson and bumble bee make them) work great for a fast cheap soup.

Pasta Soup Mix in a Jar or bag

Now you can skip the mushrooms or the lentils and add replace with peas or a bean if you prefer. Or by pass any of them and add what ever you want.

Place soup mix ingredients in jar in this order: Add rice to the jar
first. Add the seasoning packet into jar. Fill jar with tortilla
chips. Add the lid to the jar.

Remove tortilla chips and seasoning packet from the jar into
a dish and set aside.

Label:
In a 1-gallon soup pot, add the rice and 10 cups of water. Add
the can of diced tomatoes and green chiles, the can of chicken,
and the seasoning packet from the jar. Bring to a boil; lower
the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Oct 22, 2012

Disaster Preparedness: Natural Disasters

Earthquakes, fires, floods. Natural disasters come in all shapes and
sizes. If one hits your community, will you be ready? Do you understand
the systems in place to respond to these disasters and ensure the
health and safety of your community? Join noted experts Dr. John
Blossom and infectious disease specialist Dr. Christian Sandrock as they
talk with health care providers and disaster response experts about how
to respond when a natural disaster strikes.

Oct 21, 2012

Its another Sunday! And who am I digging this week. I have had the Flu all week long and blahhhh still am fighting it :( So when I came on this morning I noticed that Pinterest folks really supported my blog while I was in bed! So this weeks thank you is going to them.

Totally digging is my way of saying thanks for linking back to my page. Check them out!

So today's totally digging goes out to..... I am still down so I am in no way posting every one BUT THANK YOU TO ALL!!! (hopefully will get everyone a thank you over the next few weeks)

Ok I usually do a Thank You song but...blahhhhhh I a still sick as a dog so I am doing a Sick song and needing hugs here!!

I prepare for economic collapse. We all have our own reasons but mine is the state of our country's finances. Watching other country's and the sitatuons that are happening there are of concern to me. Spain, Portugal, France, Russia

Every time I go to the store, I see the prices of thing going higher, my bills going higher, my heathcare cost going higher and my paycheck is in no way going up as fast. I am not the only one.

The price of many things have doubled in a years time. They are NOT going down! This is why an investment in your kitchen cabinet may make you more money than putting it in the bank.

Ex: $50 worth of toilet paper bought 2 years ago is now worth $100.....That is double your money in two years! 3 years ago I could get 2 bags of pasta for $1 at a local store. That same store now sells the same pasta for $1 a bag.

More and more people are now growing vegtables why??? Look at the chart below.

Coffee WELL TALK ABOUT GOLD! If you can get it cheap it
stays good for years! Why not beat the inflation or the lack of supply.

Nothing up my sleeve: That's what I call it.....maybe
some prices have not gone up...BUT THE SIZE GOT SMALLER!! All signs
that this is not getting better soon.

Now not every one is going to agree with this; but if cost keeps going up the average person is not going to be able to feed their family. GET AHEAD OF IT. spend $10 -$20 a week extra and buy these very products that have a shelf life and we all know will go up in price over the next few years and you will double that investment. Can you get rich this way NO! but can you slow down the effects of inflation on your family...YES and that can save you from sinking.

Here is a great link CLICK HERE and look on the left hand side....scroll down and click on something...it will show you the market price on it....just gives you a little more insight. If you check it out it also gives you a clue on when it is the cheaper time of year to stock up on products.

And when NPR post a story like this...that has to be a warning. CLICK HERE

For this post I am not going to do a song but a time line to at the least pay attention to!!!

Oct 11, 2012

THIS IS ANOTHER fall harvest...you can still find these so grab them if you do!

Just a quick post on the uncomfortable topic of potty issues. If times get hard, your eating habit may change a lot. Even just the stress associated with hard times can make ones stomach go into payback mode. Yep Diarrhea.

And it is not just the comfort issues but the fact that it dehyrates you when you have it. So to get it under control is very important.

I have come across many herbs that help with it. But many of my post I always try to remember you can be on the go. And may need to find stuff along the road....this is one of those common invasive weeds.

The ONE amazing wild flower found everywhere that will make life better, is called" White Everlasting" or Pearly Everlasting.

All you do is take a hand full of the flowers and leave and put them in a half quart of boiling water. Boil it till it is down to half that. Strain and add and equal amount of milk. (powdered if that is all you have; if not the flower tea alone will at least help) get that to a good boil. And you have the best sure thing med. (add sugar to sweeten the taste if needed) All you will need is a half teaspoon.Without the milk drink half cup of the tea. I mention this now because this is another FREE now growing weed to add to your herbal medicine jars. Pick hang and dry for 3 weeks...and save the flowers and leaves for later use.

But also remember a citrus fruit, even a pine needle or rose hip tea (which my neighbor no longer has any on her rose bushes after this week because someone picked them all, shhhh it was me), or water with a pinch of salt to keep the dehydration a bay is important to.

These are some other non cultivated herbs that can help on the go with ....you know what.

Oct 8, 2012

Sorry this post is going to have a lot of reference pages and videos, but it is only because it is an old art and I know little about it. I am still a bit confused about the terms used to describe the different products. Click Here for some info on the difference. That is why my site is "learn as I go".Sap is yellowish or white, stickyResin is normally brown or red, clear, and hard

How to make is simple….....First, score a pine tree, get the sap, boil the pine sap and
you have pure pine resin and the other crud for fire starters.Side note: DO NOT DO this to a tree unless you have to. For small projects you can find the pine resin leaking right our of most trees and just pick it off.

It is really that simple, but here is a video I found so you can see. The process in the video is known as dry distillation.And note that it makes a great fire starter and large amount of the left over junk can make a great long burning candle or a even a small heat source.IDEA: But as you watch this see the crap....take it while it is still hot and mold it into a cool small shape, poke a hole through it. And use a piece of twine or necklace leather and make fire starter pendents for Christmas presents.

Your pure resin will harden and can be ground into a powder, add to a heated oil or fat for ointments. This has so many uses, including food (which I will talk about in another post) Also remember that different pine trees produce different tasting, different texture, sap so try a few.

And one last extracting findClick Here This is how to extract the oils. (this is not turpentine, this is a low slow boil extract that can be used in cleaning products and on small cardboard pine tree shapes.

>
A few medical usesOnce you have your resin these are some of the old timer uses: Native Americans use to use it for bad sprain or rheumatism because of its anti-inflammatory properties. You can use this sap and make a blend of honey, sap and camphor oil in equal
quantities. The mix is rubbed into the sprain or inflamed areas. Or blend it with an equal amount of
sunflower oil and massage into the affected areaIt can be used on cuts People would place a little sap
on a piece of cotton wool and bind this to the wound. When the cotton
wool dried out, they would add a few more drops of turpentine to it. The
purpose was to keep the wound clean: Turpentine was thought to have
antiseptic qualities. Skin exposed to turpentine may become irritated
and swollen. But in bad times this is a remedy if needed. Poison Ivy, Poison Oak and Poison Sumac .....Pine
tar soap soothes the rash of poison ivy, oak or sumac. Washing the
affected area can stop the itch and dry the rash, speeding heal

Insect Repellent The scent kept
mosquitoes, chiggers and ticks away.

all this talk about the soap....here is how you make it.

Soap and hygieneYou can make a basic soap. Not the best but better than none. Start with melting any kind of fat, add in some fire ash and some pine sap which will melt in this mix.Mixture should be half ash, 30-35% pine sad and 15-20% fat or oil if that is all you have. Of course the sap is a hardener so add extra if needed. And BAM...you have pine tar soap! Which will clean you because if the anti bacterial property of the pine sap. Simple!
Eczema and Psoriasis Pine
tar soap has been used for over 100 years to treat eczema, psoriasis
and other forms of dermatitis. It moisturizes dry, scaly skin and helps
it heal.

Hair rinse You can even take 2 cups of pine needles boil in a quart of water. Strain...pour one cup and add sugar for a healthy vitamin C drink...then take the rest and rinse your hair with it ( even better let your head soak in the bowl of it for a few...dry (do not rinse it out) healthy shinny hair. Or just add some of your resin power to water and do the same.Remember this is a natural treatment for flaky scalp. AcneSimple melt a little of the resin and a dab will do, right on that pimple! Let it sit over night and remove with a warm wet cloth. rub gently.

InkMaking ink is similar to the soap recipe above . Ash, pine resin powder (as a preserver) water and pin needles. But in a jar for a week let it ferment and strain. Add to the liquid fire or lamp black. (that is the black on the rock around your fire or on the bottom of your pans) also known as Soot even fire place soot. Play around with it to get desired color. (I am working on a fun post for the holidays about this).

Glue (pitch)

Mix charcoal, pine sap and sawdust (any dry plant can be used to)....and you have a strong glue! (add a little fat or wax to make it a little more pliable; just a little) you can add just about anything similar to the other stuff. Indians used dung. It is all a mater of what you are using it for. The more sap the stronger.

Gum This is a simple one mix the sap with mint leaf or ground cinnamon heat it up with a bit of oil to soften it more and you have gum. And it helps keep teeth clean. (fill take out a filling of two if not soft enough. So be careful)Do not forget this is an amazing waterproofing product.